Oracy
Oracy and communication are essential skills both in life and for becoming an effective learner.
A strong emphasis is put on oracy from the child starting in Nursery, right through school up to the end of Key Stage 2.
All children are exposed to a language rich environment which enables them to develop their speech and vocabulary; converse with peers and adults; develop the confidence to talk in front of a group and learn the skills needed to deliver a speech or presentation.
We use the ShREC approach, not just in Early Years but right through school, including our OPAL play scheme and Forest School programme.
Phonics
Phonics starts in Nursery where the children will cover Phase 1 activities through rhymes, story, games and exploratory play.
Reception and Year 1 pupils have a daily phonics lesson using the materials from the Red Rose Phonics scheme which is produced by Lancashire County Council. Phonics may be delivered as a whole year group or in smaller groups depending on the level the children are at.
We have chosen Red Rose Phonics as our scheme as we feel it engages the children well through fun games and also allows us to link to a wide variety of reading material which suits all learning styles.
Reading
For the teaching of reading in KS1 and 2, we use the materials from Fred's Teaching. We also use the Accelerated Reader scheme to assess the children's progress through the year and to set targets for improvement.
Our reading books are banded according to the Accelerated Reader system so that pupils are always choosing a book that matches their reading ability but can also challenge them.
We also have a selection of books for struggling readers and dyslexia friendly reading material.
Reading for pleasure is given a high priority in school - we have an annual Scholastic Book Fair and we regularly engage in activities which promote a love of reading.
Writing
Several years ago we adopted 'The Write Stuff' writing programme, written by Jane Considine, as our whole school approach to the teaching of writing. We chose this because of it's emphasis on developing quality language; the scaffolding that is built into each lesson to support young writers and the wide range of engaging topics and texts.
Jane Considine is passionate about teaching high quality writing lessons to children across the primary age-range and her programme is aligned with the DFE Writing Framework.
Spelling
From Year 2, spelling is taught using the Red Rose Spelling Programme, written by Lancashire County Council.
Handwriting
Handwriting is a functional skill which all children need to develop. This starts in Early Years with a wide range of play and exploratory activities which develop physical control and co-ordination, from large muscle development (climbing; building; lifting) to fine muscle development (jigsaws, playdough, cutting, colouring, threading).
The skill of handwriting continues to develop through Key Stage 1 where the emphasis is on correct letter formation; improving uniformity and learning to join.
By the time the children reach Year 6, we expect the majority of children to have developed a clear, legible, joined handwriting style.